Shows / The Writing Coach
The Writing Coach
Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, author Kevin T. Johns speaks with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors that help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.
Episodes
The Writing CoachYou're Not Too Old to Write a Book — The Writing Coach Episode 186
Many people spend their entire lives wanting to write; they get a taste of it when they are younger in High School or University, but then life happens. They…
The Writing CoachThere is No End State for Writers — The Writing Coach Episode 185
With the new year underway, everyone is setting goals for 2024. In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns acknowledges the…
The Writing CoachPractical Goal Setting Techniques for Writers — The Writing Coach Episode 184
With 2023 at its end, it's time to set your writing goals for the New Year. In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns outlines…
The Writing CoachThe 20 Best Books I Read in 2023 — The Writing Coach Episode 183
As the year draws to a close, writing coach Kevin T. Johns looks back on the fiction, nonfiction, business, and writer's craft books he read in 2023. Listen…
The Writing CoachA Writer's Guide to Three, Four, and Five-Act Story Structures — The Writing Coach Episode 182
In episode 182 of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns explains, three, four, and five-act story structures, as well as circular structures…
The Writing CoachThe Incredible Importance of Knowing Your Genre — The Writing Coach Episode 181
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns delves into the nuanced interplay between storytelling and genre, recognizing genre…
The Writing Coach8 Writing Activities for When You Are Feeling Low Energy
Navigating the ups and downs of creativity can be challenging. Let's face it: we don't always feel 100%, and on those low-energy days, it can feel difficult to…
The Writing CoachCreative Work and the Conservation of Momentum — The Writing Coach Episode 179
The principle of the conservation of momentum is important in physics because it is a key quantity that helps describe and predict the motion of objects. That…
The Writing CoachThe Unique Power of a Writing Coach – The Writing Coach Episode 178
What is a writing coach? How do they help writers and what unique powers do they bring to the writing process? Writing coach Kevin T. Johns answers these…
The Writing CoachThe Problem with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) — The Writing Coach Episode 177
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual event where writers attempt to draft a 50,000-word manuscript in the month of November. The event has…
The Writing CoachAuthor Anne Kane on Writing Sci-Fi, Romance, Erotica, and more! — The Writing Coach Episode 176
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns speaks with his client, award-winning romance author Anne Kane. Anne lives in the…
The Writing CoachEight Things Writers Can Learn From a Drummer The Writing Coach Episode 175
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns responds to a challenge issued by author Daniel Pease. Pease challenged Kevin to…
The Writing CoachScene Alchemy Essentials Checklist – Part 4 — The Writing Coach Episode 174
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns continues his examination of the Scene Alchemy Essentials Checklist tool and…
The Writing CoachScene Alchemy Essentials Checklist – Part 3 — The Writing Coach Episode 173
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns continues his review of the Scene Alchemy Essentials Checklist tool and discusses…
The Writing CoachScene Alchemy Essentials Checklist - Part 2 -- The Writing Coach Episode 172
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns continues his review of the Scene Alchemy Essentials Checklist tool and discusses…
The Writing CoachScene Alchemy Essentials Checklist - Part 1 — The Writing Coach Episode 171
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns introduces his new scene Alchemy Essentials Checklist tool and discusses the…
The Writing CoachThree Stories About Teaching -- The Writing Coach Episode 169
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns shares three experiences that changed the way he thought about the invisible art of…
The Writing CoachSomething to be Excited About -- The Writing Coach Episode 168
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns explains the excitement art can provide and the joy literature can bring to a…
The Writing CoachWhen to Jump Projects -- The Writing Coach Episode 167
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns discusses the habit writers have of wanting to jump to a new project and provides…
The Writing CoachFour Quotes From Kevin Kelly -- The Writing Coach Episode 166
In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns shares his thoughts on four quotes related to writing from futurist, author, and…
The Writing CoachCommon Beginner Mistakes (That I Made!) -- The Writing Coach Episode 165
In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns outlines half-a-dozen common mistakes he sees in the manuscripts of aspiring…
The Writing CoachThe 8 (or 9) Literary Elements -- The Writing Coach Episode 164
In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns discusses the "literary elements" he considers the building blocks of any scene. He…
The Writing CoachWriting is Iterative -- The Writing Coach Episode 163
In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns explains why no writer gets it right on the first try and how writing is always…
The Writing CoachPerfection vs. Desperation -- The Writing Coach Episode 162
In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns discusses Star Wars, punk rock, and how writers should consider desperation as a…
The Writing CoachGoodbye Story Grid Podcast -- The Writing Coach Episode 161
In this episode of The Writing Coach Podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns says goodbye to The Story Grid Podcast, which published its final episode last week…
The Writing CoachIn Praise of Lists — The Writing Coach Episode 160
Writing coach Kevin T. Johns explains how To Do lists, checklists, standard operating procedures, and calendars can help writers and artists get organized…
The Writing CoachThe Doctrine of the Mean -- The Writing Coach Episode 159
In episode 159 of The Writing Coach podcast, I explore Aristotle's "Doctrine of the Mean," and how it can help us understand why both living a virtuous life…
The Writing CoachStories Are About Change -- The Writing Coach Episode 158
In episode 158 of The Writing Coach podcast, I explore the powerful role that change plays in storytelling. Change impacts the characters and the world of your…
The Writing CoachWhat to Do When Enthusiasm Fades — The Writing Coach Episode 157
Writing a book is a long-term project with lots of ups and downs along the way. While almost every writer begins work on their book brimming with enthusiasm…
The Writing CoachTomorrow Never Comes -- The Writing Coach Episode 156
One of my favourite bands, Rancid, recently announced their forthcoming album will be titled Tomorrow Never Comes. The title and the song it shares its name…
The Writing CoachJust Follow the Protocols! -- The Writing Coach Episode 155
On Monday, April 24, 2023, I'm hosting a webinar called First Draft Secrets: How to Write a Fun and Focused First Draft, and it got me thinking about my first…
The Writing CoachShould Writers Fear Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
In episode 154 of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns tackles a hot topic in the world of writing these days: artificial intelligence (AI)…
The Writing CoachWriting is Emotional Work -- The Writing Coach Episode 153
In episode 153 of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns discusses how in creating their art, writers can often stir up memories, traumas, and…
The Writing Coach4 Simple Tips for Writing Success -- The Writing Coach Episode 152
In episode 152 of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns shares four simple tips writers can implement to help set themselves up for long-term…
The Writing CoachHow to Benefit from Momentum with Your Writing -- The Writing Coach Episode 151
In episode 151 of The Writing Coach podcast, writing coach Kevin T. Johns covers three techniques writers can use to create and benefit from momentum with…
The Writing CoachHelen Pilz on Writing a Christmas Romance -- The Writing Coach Episode 149
In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I'm thrilled to interview my client Helen Pilz who just published her sweet Christmas romance New York Snow and…
The Writing CoachWhy Writers Abandon Projects — The Writing Coach Episode 148
Most writers are creative individuals filled with thousands of wonderful ideas. This creativity obviously serves writers well when it comes to developing ideas…
The Writing CoachRemembering Veteran Authors - The Writing Coach Episode 147
It's Remembrance Day here in Canada and Veteran's Day in America, so in today's episode of The Writing Coach podcast, we explore veteran authors and discuss…
The Writing Coach15 Literary Masterpieces Under 60K Words
Many beginning writers want to write a long book. There seems to be some sort of belief that long equals good. Yet, as this episode of The Writing Coach…
The Writing CoachDebunking the Myth of the Solitary Author
No one does anything alone in this world. It takes collaboration, support, and community to make anything happen. That's why I get so frustrated with the…
The Writing CoachThree Biggest Problems When Writing a First Draft
In the last episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I outlined my six-step roadmap for creating and publishing a book. As I mentioned in that episode, I believe…
The Writing CoachThe Six-Step Road Map to Publication
Writing coach Kevin T. Johns outlines his six-step road map for creating and publishing a book.
The Writing CoachThe Dangers of Social Media for Writers
Social media provides writers with the opportunity to connect with writers from across the world. But is the type of community social media provides really…
The Writing CoachHow to Make Progress When Feeling Low Energy
Whether you're recovering from illness, worn out after a long shift at the day job, or simply not maintaining energy levels the way you did when you were…
The Writing CoachActive Voice: The Easiest Way to Improve Your Writing — The Writing Coach Episode 140
As a writing coach, everyday writers come to me asking how they can improve their writing. Using "Active Voice" is one of the easiest ways to improve the…
The Writing CoachCan you break the "rules" of writing?
Many writers draft an entire manuscript before learning the fundamentals of the art form. When they come to me looking for editorial advice, only to discover…
The Writing CoachHow to Start Writing a Book
Writing a book is a complicated process and figuring out where to start can be confusing, especially for new authors. Some writers start with character. Some…
The Writing CoachThe Big Problem with The Rings of Power -- The Writing Coach Episode 137
Amazon's billion-dollar streaming series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has now been released . . . and it's not very good. In this episode of The…
The Writing CoachPhillip L. Wray on Writing Historical Mysteries -- The Writing Coach Episode 136
I love these kinds of episodes. I just love it when one of my clients works hard, makes steady process, and keeps with it through all the highs and lows that…
The Writing CoachHow to Write a Book in 30 Days (or Less!)
There are, of course, many ways to go about writing a book. But having worked with hundreds of authors over the last decade, I'm absolutely convinced the most…
The Writing CoachConflict is (too) Easy to Find
Conflict is central to storytelling. But too often when I tell my coaching clients that one of their scenes needs more conflict, they think I mean"big"…
The Writing CoachShould You Write While on Vacation? -- The Writing Coach Episode 133
Everyone deserves a vacation from time to time. We all need opportunities to rest, unwind, and recuperate. For writers, however, vacation time can cause quite…
The Writing CoachRereading Your Own Work -- The Writing Coach Episode 132
Every night I read to my daughter. The Hobbit, Harry Potter, The Dark is Rising . . . Most recently, I've been reading her The Pages Turners trilogy (written…
The Writing CoachStar Wars & the State of Writing on Streaming Shows -- The Writing Coach Episode 131
If you've listened to my podcast, taken one of my courses, read one of my books, or just spend more than twenty minutes around me, then you probably know I'm a…
The Writing CoachEnergy Management for Writers - The Writing Coach 130
Do you "Wake Up Exhausted" like Tegan and Sarah song? Do you relate to Post Malone's "always tired" tattoo? Has age or health problems reduced your energy…
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50 Topics Writers Discuss -- The Writing Coach Episode 129
My group coaching programs First Draft (for writers working on their first draft) and Final Draft (for writers in the revisions process), include a weekly…
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Wrist Health & Alternatives to Typing -- The Writing Coach Episode 128
No writer wants to be told by a doctor (or anyone else) that they need to step away from the keyboard for any period of time, or, worse yet, that they require…
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10 Lessons Writers Can Learn from Punk Rock — The Writing Coach Episode 127
In last's week's episode, I briefly touched on the positive impact a punk rock mentality has had on my creative output. The more I thought about it, the more I…